


Setting Sail

by Axelrocks



Category: Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Bromance, Caryl, F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-18
Updated: 2014-12-05
Packaged: 2018-02-13 16:19:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2157195
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Axelrocks/pseuds/Axelrocks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Taking over Terminus had been easy, figuring out Daryl and Tyreese bromance name was not. If your a fan of Rickyl and not a fan of Caryl, this is most definitely not your story. This will be a set of oneshots/chapters that will each feature a bromance with Daryl or Carol(would it be a sismance, then? lol)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Dareese

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a set of oneshots/chapters that will each feature a bromance with Daryl or Carol(would it be a sismance, then? lol) Also, I am not a huge fan of Rick, at the moment, so I will not be very nice to him in this. I tried to stay IC with all of the characters, though!

Terminus was theirs. Gareth and his minions were gone. Dead. Nothing remained of the cannibalistic community. Not even the piles of human bones found in various parts of the warehouse. Rick had announced that this place was as good as any and they began to set up shop there. Groups of two or there would go out in search of the many signs leading to Terminus and tore them down. They didn't need anymore of the bad kind of survivors to find them.

It had been several months since they all took Terminus and their numbers had only grown slightly. Those that had happened upon the place were welcomed in, just like the prison, if they answered the three questions Rick posed to them.

In those few months, several things changed in the life of Daryl Dixon. Things that, looking back on it now, he was glad happened if even at first, he had felt the opposite. No longer was he considered Rick's follower, Rick's right-hand man or basically, Rick's loyal and obedient dog. He was still a very valuable member of their survivor community and some looked to him for leadership. Carol, too, was looked to in that way, as well. Rick was no longer considered the one and only leader. They didn't have a council, since that had not worked out so well, in the end.

Daryl sat on top of one of the train cars, which they now used for storage and looked out over the fences and into the woods. The same woods Carol had materialized out of and started kicking ass. If it hadn't been for her and the walker army she and Tyreese had round up, they would have all been dead and possibly eaten. Not by walkers, either. Daryl shuddered at the thought.

"Cold?"

"Huh?" Daryl turned in his perch to watch Carol climb on top of the car.

"I just saw you shiver and wondered if you were cold." She took a seat next to him. "Looks like you're back to the sleeveless lifestyle. I can get you a blanket, if you want."

"Naw, I ain't cold. Just been thinkin'."

"About?"

"You and how you came in here kicking ass that night." He nudged her in the side. "Never seen you look so sexy."

"I was covered in walker blood!" Carol smiled and nudged him back.

"Still thought you were sexy." He moved closer and wrapped an arm around Carol's waist. Once Terminus was completely theirs, Daryl hadn't wasted time in letting Carol know how he felt.

After a few moments of silence, Carol spoke. "So, you and Tyreese, huh?"

"Yep. Jealous?" He bumped her playfully.

"Of course not!" She pinched him lightly. "He's a good man."

Daryl sighed. "That's what I thought about..."

"He still is one, Daryl. He just wasn't good for  _you._  He didn't treat you like how you should be. Tyreese will."

"Yeah, because he's big enough to fight his own battles."

"That's not it and you know it." Carol knew that Daryl was still bitter about everything that had gone down between him and Rick. He had every right to be.

Daryl leaned his head on Carol's shoulder, which showed how comfortable in their relationship he had become. Carol skimmed her hand up his back until her fingers met the long hair spilling over the collar of his shirt.

"Tyreese forgave you. He knew what you did wasn't out of spite. You were trying to save lives and he knows that you feel that choice everyday. I couldn't stand by Rick, anymore, when I saw that he still looked at you with anger and mistrust." He looked up at her.

"He had every right t-" Daryl pressed a finger to Carol's lips and shushed her.

"I've heard it plenty of times, Carol. You  _didn't_  deserve that. We're family and that's not how a family acts." Reaching up, he wiped a stray tear he knew Carol probably didn't even know was falling. "He kicked you out on your  _own_ , knowing that no one can make it on their own, anymore. It was a death sentence."

"But I didn't die. I survived and here I am."

"What if you hadn't? I would have never seen you, again. Nearly gave up when I was Beth. It was all too much. All the loss. First, you and then, our home..." He trailed off into silence.

"Daryl, there's something I want to tell you." Carol sniffled. "I know I should have told you this awhile ago, but-"

"Hey, what's going on?" A deep voice startled the couple. Daryl sat up and glared at Tyreese who had just climbed up on to the train car.

"Shit, man, we were about to have a moment," he growled.

"Whoa." Tyreese held up his hands in a placating manner. "I can leave if you want me to. Didn't mean to ruin a moment."

"Don't go, Tyreese." Carol smiled and patted the spot next to her. "We were just talking about you." The tears that had slipped down her cheeks during her talk with Daryl were long gone and she looked genuinely happy to see the larger man.

"Oh." The big man walked and took a seat besides Carol. "Is that why my ears were burning?"

"Yep," Carol quipped. "Daryl and I were just talking about what your ship name should be."

"Ship name?" Daryl looked at Carol oddly. That had to be the most random thing to come out of her mouth. "Like a boat?" What the hell was she talking about? They weren't talking about a ship name. Whatever that was.

"I was talking with Lyssa, John's girl, and she asked me what mine and Daryl's 'ship' name would be. Apparently, it's our two names smashed together."

Both men were still giving her odd looks. So, she smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Our name would be Caryl."

"Ain't that just your name?" Daryl pointed out.

"Well, the other name would be Darol."

"And that's my name. I don't get it."

"Daryl and Carol rhyme, so when our names are mixed together, they sound like one of our names. Caryl is spelled C-a-r-y-l and Darol is spelled D-a-r-o-l. Personally, I like Caryl, better."

"Me too," Tyreese agreed. "One Daryl is enough. We can always have more Carols." The big man wrapped an arm around Carol's shoulder and pulled her close for a hug.

"Hey, that's my woman you're huggin' on, man." Daryl narrowed his eyes at Tyreese.

"So? She's my friend and I can hug her if I want." To spite his friend more, Tyreese pulled Carol even closer. The air was pushed from her lungs, but she didn't say anything.

Daryl just shrugged and sat back on his hands. "Fine. But don't be surprised when I push your ass off this train car."

Tyreese let go of Carol. "You would do that to your best friend? Shit."

"I've done worse to my friends," he mumbled. The air grew tense as the trio remembered what Daryl had talked about.

It had been after they completely took over Terminus for themselves when Rick had approached Carol and asked her to leave. Daryl hadn't heard the conversation, but watched it from a distance and from their body languages; knew exactly what was being said.

In an instance, Daryl had crossed the distance between the pair and threw a punch at Rick's face. Carol had jumped back in shock, not registering for a second what was happening in front of her. Tyreese had to come and separate the two, much as Daryl had done to Rick when he attacked Tyreese at the prison.

"She belongs here just as much as you and me!" Daryl yelled, jabbing a finger at Rick, who was struggling to sit up. "Without her, we wouldn't even be here. Your daughter wouldn't even be here!"

When Tyreese realized what had started the fight, he let got of Rick and looked like he wanted to take a swing at him, too. "You were going to kick Carol out?"

Rick wiped the blood from his split lip and looked up at the large man. "I was."

"What for?" His voice came out in a growl. "There's  _nothing_  this woman has done to cause her to be banished.  _Nothing._ "

"This coming from the man who cried for her blood at the prison." Rick finally got to his feet and glared at Tyreese. Daryl was huffing, still angry, by his side. Carol stood a little bit away, not knowing what to do.

"I  _forgave_  Carol for what she did. She did what she did to end their suffering, I know that, now, and I know that she feels it everyday. This is the kind of person who would do  _anything_  for her family and you want to kick her out?"

At this time, they had attracted a small crowd. Glenn and Maggie stood several feet away, while Sasha and Michonne both looked like they were about to jump in, as well. Luckily, Carl was with Judith and putting her down for her nap.

When Rick opened his mouth to speak, Tyreese cut him off. "If you say you don't want her around your children, I will knock you back on your ass." Rick's mouth shut with a snap.

"Do you even  _know_  what she had to sacrifice to keep  _your_ daughter safe?" Tyreese continued.

"Tyreese." Everyone swiveled to look at Carol, who had spoken softly. "It's all right. Thank you. If Rick really doesn't want me here, then I'll leave."

Daryl took a step forward. "Like hell, you will."

She ignored him and looked at Rick. Everyone looked at Rick and waited for his answer. They all held their breaths when he finally answered.

"You can stay, Carol."

"Hmph," Daryl snorted. "You say that like you're the king of fuckin' Terminus. You  _can_  stay, Carol," he mimicked. "If she wants to stay, then she fuckin' can. She already had to deal with one asshole in her life telling her what she could and couldn't do, she doesn't need another one." With that, Daryl stalked away.

Everyone else stood in stunned silence at what they had just witnessed.

That night, Daryl came to Carol and told her exactly how he felt and he learned what happened to Lizzie and Mika. As Carol, laid in his bed, curled into his side, Daryl vowed that he would never let anything bad happen to this woman, ever again.

Back on top of the train car, the mood between the three of them had gone dark as they each remembered the events of that day. The day Daryl had broken ties with his supposed 'brother' and best friend.

"Sorry to have brought it up," Daryl spoke up first. Carol reached over to squeeze his hand and give him a smile.

"It's okay."

"Yeah," Tyreese said. "That was a hard day for us all, but look at us, now." He smiled. "Here we are thinking up ship names to give one another." He nudged Carol. "So, what would mine and Daryl's ship name be?"

"Whoa, now!" Daryl protested. "We ain't...together. We don't need a 'ship' name."

"Course you do!" Carol said with delight. "You two have a bromance!"

"A bro what?" Daryl was getting more confused by the minute.

"A bromance," Tyreese answered. "It means we love each other like brothers."

"Oh okay." Daryl nodded, seeming to understand. "I get it-wait, what?" His head jerked to face Tyreese.

Carol covered a giggle with a hand and slid back a bit so that Tyreese and Daryl didn't have to look over her head to see one another.

"Dude, we're brothers. Accept it."

"Well, at least I'm the better lookin' of the two of us." Daryl smirked.

"Just so you know, Daryl, you were the better looking between you and Merle," Carol said. It didn't hurt to talk about Merle, now, and Daryl couldn't help but smile at Carol.

"Come on! I'm loads better looking than this redneck," Tyreese protested with a teasing grin.

"Like hell, you are!" Daryl shot back.

Carol watched the exchange, the smile on her face never wavered. This was the kind of friendship Daryl needed and deserved. Tyreese didn't treat him like a dog who he would make go out and do all the dirty work for him. With Tyreese, Daryl opened up a bit more and Carol had witnessed the two men throw playful jabs at one another. Rick hadn't done that and when Merle did, they weren't playful. They had been hurtful.

"Dareese," she blurted. Daryl and Tyreese stopped their bickering and gave her an odd look. "That could be your ship name. Or it could be, Tyryl."

"Dareese." Both men said at the same time.

* * *

"I love you."

Carol and Daryl were alone in their room. Daryl spooned against Carol and rubbed his nose into her feather soft hair. It was the first time either one of them said those words out loud. When Daryl had told Carol how he felt, those words never slipped out, even though he wanted them, too. Now, he said them, easily.

Carol turned and faced him. "That was what I was going to tell you, earlier."

"Before Tyreese showed up?"

She nodded. "You beat me to it, though." Cupping his cheek and rubbing a thumb over the stubble there, she smiled.

"You mad?"

"Of course not. I'm glad you said it to me, first." She kissed him. "I love you, too."

"Probably wouldn't have had the balls to say it, if Tyreese hadn't pulled me to the side and read me to the riot act about it."

"I am so glad you two are close, Daryl. He's good for you."

"Yeah," he agreed.

"So, should I tell Glenn to call you two, Dareese?" She could barely control the laughter that was bubbling up.

"Hell, no! It would be all over Terminus in a matter of seconds!"

"Aw, you don't want everyone to know that you and Tyreese have a bromance?"

Daryl didn't say anything and slid a warm hand underneath Carol's shirt so that it rested it on the smooth, soft skin of her abdomen. Carol's breath hitched and the topic of Glenn and bromances was soon forgotten as Daryl's hand slid higher.

"I love you," Daryl said again and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss.


	2. Glaryl

"So, Dareese, huh?"

Daryl groaned when Glenn ran up to him with a smug grin. He should have known that the younger man had something embarrassing to tell him.

"Carol tell you?"

"Nope. Tyreese." Glenn took the seat next to Daryl, which hadn't been offered to him.

"Figures," Daryl grumbled. "That man has a big month and he'd spill anything that would embarrass the hell out of me."

"Aw, come on, Daryl." The Korean slapped a hand on his friend's shoulder. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about. I think it's cute."

"Course you would," he mumbled. Daryl decided that once his watch shift was over, he was going to kick Tyreese's ass for spilling their earlier conversation. Carol had promised she wouldn't say anything. He should have made sure Tyreese would do the same.

Of course, he would have to spill to the biggest mouth in Terminus.

"So, what are you doin' up here?" Daryl asked. "You're always attached to the hip with Maggie. Surely, you ain't up here to irritate me more, are you?"

"I just wanted to talk with you a bit. Haven't really had a conversation with you since the..." The way he trailed off, Daryl knew he was talking about the prison. No one really talked about it anymore. Especially Glenn and Maggie. Maggie had lost her daddy the day the Governor attacked and Glenn shared her grief. They all did.

"Been busy," Daryl said. It was true. Making a new home for all of them took a lot of work. At least they didn't have a half-ass leader who wanted to farm all day.

"Yeah," Glenn chuckled. "Doing Carol."

Daryl whirled at the younger man. "The hell you just say?"

"Uh." Glenn eyes went round with fear. "I mean, helping Carol and everyone else clean up the place...and stuff."

"That's what I thought." The hunter turned back to face the front gate of Terminus.

"But..." Glenn began with a hint of hesitation. "You  _are_  doing Carol, right? I mean, you're together, now?"

It had been about three months since they took over Terminus and three months since Daryl had made his feelings known. They hadn't gone public with their relationship, but they weren't hiding it, either. Daryl wasn't a huge fan of PDA and Carol didn't seem to mind, so it really wasn't that obvious they were together. The only person who knew for sure was Tyreese.

"Yeah, we're together." Glenn slapped him, again, and he winced.

"About time! Geez, I've been waiting for it to happen since we left the farm."

Daryl turned sharp eyes on his friend. "What?"

"You would always stay near Carol when we camped out for the night and you were the one to teach her to fight. I wasn't the only to notice it, either. Everyone did. Well, except for Rick. He was still in dictator mode."

Daryl looked back on those days without fondness. Carol had accused him of being Rick's henchman and at the time, he had denied it. Now, he knew it had been true and was ashamed. That's all he had ever been to anyone. Merle. Rick. They hadn't treated him as an equal, but as someone to pass the dirty jobs, too.

Even Merle had been on the receiving end of Rick's 'persuading'. He had been too chicken shit to take Michonne to the Governor, like he planned, and Merle had been the one he had to 'convince' to do it.

When he returned that day with Merle's blood on his clothes and dirty tear tracks on his face, Rick hadn't offered up one word of condolence. Hadn't really even glanced in his direction when he made his way to his perch. He had been too concerned on keeping  _his_  family safe and hadn't cared that he had sent Daryl's  _only_  blood left out to be killed.

"Shut up," he grumbled when he realized that silence had stretched between the two. Instead of saying anything back, Glenn sat back on his hands and smirked.

"You know Maggie told me something the other day," Glenn's voice took on a more meaningful tone and the humor had left his face. "She told me that she knew I was hiding something, so she told me something she was keeping to herself."

"And you're goin' to tell me?"

"You aren't exactly the town gossip."

"Don't tell me. Maggie secretly hates me," Daryl said in a teasing tone. However, it wasn't how he really felt. Beth was still out there. Still gone. No one had gone out to look for her and he had been the reason why she was lost in the first place. Maggie could very well hate him and she would have a legitimate reason why, too.

"No," Glenn replied, his voice was serious.

"I doubt she'd like it if you told me, then. I mean, she  _was_  keepin' it from you."

"I think you'll want to hear what it is, though." Daryl raised an eyebrow at this and motioned for his friend to continue.

"It's about the day Rick came back to the prison without Carol." That gave Daryl a pause and made him even more invested into the conversation. "Maggie was the one to open the gate for him and she kept asking about Carol, but Rick kept deflecting her answers."

Daryl growled low in his throat. The man couldn't even admit to what he had done.

"Finally, he answered and told Maggie exactly what she did." Glenn paused and didn't look over at his friend.

"What did she say?" Dread trickled into his voice.

"She told Rick that he did what he had to do."

"What?" Daryl nearly leapt to his feet. "She  _agreed_  with what Rick did to Carol? What if Rick had been feeding her a bunch of bullshit? Did she  _not_  want to hear Carol's side of things? Is Carol that expendable to her?"

"Look, Daryl. Stop. When Maggie told me this, she was in  _tears._  She regrets saying those things and if she could, then she'd go back and change everything. She was  _tired._  I was sick; her dad was tending the sick and could have caught the illness himself. She just didn't have the heart to argue with him."

The words placated Daryl a little. What Maggie had done and said was in the past. It was clear that she regretted it, now. "I...understand."

"Good," Glenn sighed. "All this time, she kept that from me and I could tell it was eating her up. At first, she was acting the way she was because she missed Hershel and Beth. Part of it was because of them, but the other part was regret."

Daryl remained silent and Glenn continued to speak.

"She wanted me to tell you. Right now, she's speaking with Carol and asking for forgiveness."

"There ain't nothin' to forgive. Carol will understand. She always does."

Glenn nodded. "You're right. That's why I love her, you know. We've all changed in one way or the other, and she probably the most. But there is one thing that hasn't changed in Carol and that's her caring side. This life has beaten her down so hard, but she's always gotten right back up on her feet and goes on."

That was one of the many things Daryl admired about Carol.

"She grieves for all the children she has lost, but doesn't make it her entire life. She misses those girls every day and just because she doesn't hallucinate them and become a raving maniac, doesn't mean she's gone cold." Glenn sounded bitter. No one really paid attention to the way Glenn interacted with Rick at the prison. For those that did, could tell that there was still some tension there.

"Got some deep seeded anger, huh?" Daryl asked.

"When you attacked Rick the first night here, I wanted to join in, too."

"If I had known, I would have let you."

Glenn shrugged. "I still might get my chance, some day."

This time, Daryl was the one to clap his hand on his friend's shoulder. "That's the spirit. Rick Grimes can never get too many punches to the face."

The younger man chuckled, softly. "Did you ever think this would happen to us? This tension and anger?"

"No," Daryl answered honestly. He'd been blind in the beginning and never thought that Rick would do him wrong. Rick saw him as an equal. Rick cared about him. That's why he basically told Merle to take care of the Governor and get himself killed. That's why he banished Carol when  _he wasn't even there_.

"Same here. Like I said, earlier. People change. Some change for the better and some...don't."

The pair drifted into silence.

"So, what were you hidin' from Maggie?" Daryl had been curious about this since Glenn had brought it up.

"What?"

"You said Maggie told you what she was hidin' because she knew you were hidin' something too. So, what was it?"

"Oh. That." Glenn took a breath. "You know Tara, right?"

Daryl nodded. Of course, he knew who Tara was. The population at Terminus hadn't expanded much since they had taken it over and she had been in the train car with them. He had never gotten around to asking her where she came from and just accepted her into their family.

"Well, she was with the Governor when they attacked the prison."

"What? Damn, Short Round, you just keep droppin' bombs on me."

A smile quirked at the edge of Glenn's mouth. Before the nickname would have angered him, but now, he knew when Daryl said it, he didn't mean any harm by it. "She didn't kill anyone. Didn't even fire her gun. She still felt guilty about the whole thing, though. But without her, I don't think I would have ever found Maggie."

"Always thought she was all right in my book."

"Same here."

"Glenn?" A familiar voice called up to them. Maggie. "You about ready for bed?"

"Uh, yeah." Glenn stood to his feet and stretched. "It was really nice talking to you, Daryl."

"Guess I can say the same."

Glenn made his way to the ladder, but stopped before going down it. "Would you consider this talk to be a  _brotherly_  talk?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes. "I guess."

"Would you say that we have a  _bromance?"_

"Is that the only reason why you came up here?" He growled.

"Of course, not." Glenn waved him off. "So, what would our 'ship' name be?"


	3. Caggie

Carol rocked Judith gently, hoping the baby would go to sleep soon. Daryl was almost done with his shift on watch and she wanted to be in their room when he made his way to bed.

Judith cooed softly and yawned. It was only a matter of time before the little girl's eyes would shut in sleep. "Come on, baby girl," she whispered. "It's time for bed." A smile appeared on the baby's face at the sound of Carol's voice, even though her eyes were drooping.

Carol remembered when they had first reunited the baby with her father and brother the day they had taken over Terminus. Tyreese had handed Judith to her to give to Rick and when she passed Rick his daughter, the girl let out a loud wail and squirmed in her father's arms, almost as if she wanted to break free from him.

The man looked stricken and when Carl took the baby from his dad, the same happened to him. Carol would have been the one to take Judith back in her arms, but Rick was fixing her with an accusing look and she stayed put. Turning her head, she looked back at the large man who had helped her with the walker army. "Tyreese."

That was all that had to be said and the big man was reaching for the crying baby in Carl's arms. Once she was securely in Tyreese's arms, Judith's cries stopped and she snuggled her head into his massive chest. Daryl had even approached and attempted to hold the little girl, but the same thing occurred with him, as well.

Baby Grimes was  _not_  happy unless she was in Tyreese or Carol's embrace. A fact that the other two Grimes  _did not_  like. However, it could not be helped. So, for the first few weeks of their stay at Terminus, it was Tyreese or Carol's duty to take care of the little girl. Slowly, they had been able to wean the girl on to other people and now, she happily resided in her father or brother's arms whenever they held her.

"Carol." A soft voice called behind her. She turned, careful not to rouse the child in her arms, and saw Maggie standing there. She hadn't even heard the young woman walk into the room.

It was usual for there to be days that would pass without the two women interacting. Maggie was often with Glenn and Carol was often with Daryl. Even at the prison, they had rarely interacted. Carol had spent more time with Beth, than with her older sister.

"Is there something I can help you with, Maggie?"

The young woman looked nervous, an emotion Carol had never seen on her face before. Maggie had always been confident in everything she had done. Something Carol had envied of the woman. "Can I speak with you?"

"Of course. You don't have to ask."

"Oh, I, uh...know." Maggie wrung her hands and looked at the baby in Carol's arms. "Can I hold her?" She needed something to occupy her hands and Carol was more than happy to hand over the baby.

"Is there something specific you wanted to talk with me about?" Carol looked at Maggie and sat down at one of the several chairs around the room. Maggie took a seat next to her, but kept her eyes on Judith.

"I'm sorry, Carol," Maggie said so quietly, Carol could barely hear the words.

"Sorry? What do you have to be sorry about, Maggie? You haven't done anything wrong."

At that moment, the younger woman burst into tears. Judith started in her arms and began to fuss. Carol quickly took the baby and set her down in one of the cribs they kept in the common room. Fortunately, Judith went right back to sleep and Carol went right back to Maggie, who's sobbing hadn't subsided.

Carol curled an arm around Maggie's shoulder and pulled her close, hoping that it would make her feel better. Maggie latched on to Carol, but the sobbing intensified.

"God," she finally managed to joke out between heaving breaths. "I am s-such a horrible p-person, Carol."

"Oh, honey," Carol soothed. "No, you're not."

"I am." She ran a hand through her hair and wiped away some of the tears from her cheeks. "You've always been there for everyone. For me. Even back when we were on the road. You had just lost your little girl, but you took care of Lori and the others when they needed it." Maggie hiccupped. "When Rick returned to the prison without you, I was worried, but then he told me what you'd done and what he did and I said I was  _okay_  with it. That he did the right thing."

Maggie looked up at Carol with watery, green eyes. "What he did  _wasn't_  right."

"And what I did wasn't right, either."

"But to kick you out for it? Without speaking to anyone?" She clasped one of Carol's hands. "He  _waited_  until Daryl was gone to do it. Rick  _knew_  that Daryl would not have allowed it to happen and he did it behind his back. I am so ashamed that I took Rick's side."

"You don't have to be. I shouldn't have done what I did and Rick thought that was a just punishment."

"But it wasn't! I know, now, what you tried to do. You wanted to protect us."

"Maggie." Carol squeezed the young woman's hands. "I did want to protect you all, but I should have gone about it differently. I shouldn't have taken matters into my own hands. I understand why you would back Rick up. Glenn was sick an-"

"I  _know_  you would have never hurt him, Carol."

"You're right. I wouldn't have."

"Do you forgive me?"

Carol pulled her in for a hug. "There was nothing to forgive."

* * *

After their emotional conversation, Maggie and Carol talked about normal things for a few minutes before Maggie got up and went to find Glenn. Carol watched the woman walk away, a smile on her face. She could never blame Maggie for what she had said of Rick's choice to banish her. Both her and Rick had been in the wrong, she knew that. She was glad, though, to finally know what Maggie's thoughts had been about the whole thing.

The first few weeks of being in Terminus, Carol had been weary of everyone. What did they think of her, now? Had Rick told them what she done? No one looked at her with malicious and they all acted as they always had around her, but it was still comforting to know that Maggie didn't have any feelings of anger or mistrust towards her.

Carol went to go check on Judith when she heard the door to the room open. Looking over her shoulder, she watched as Daryl strode towards her, crossbow on his back and a smile on his face. She would never tire of that smile. Especially when it was directed at her.

"Ready for bed?" He asked and kissed her lightly on the mouth.

"Just about. I have to take Judith to Rick's room and then, I'll be ready." She scooped up the slumbering baby, carefully.

"Sounds good. I'm goin' to shower real quick and I'll see you in our room." Before leaving, he ran a gentle finger down the baby's soft cheek and kissed Carol on hers.

Rick was lying in bed with a book when she knocked and walked in. Seeing his baby in her arms brought a smile on his face and he moved to take her. Things were still a little tense between them, but they were civil.

"Thank you for getting her to sleep, Carol," he said and placed Judith in the crib next to his bed.

"No problem, Rick." She walked to the door and told him goodnight before slipping out. Their interactions were often brief.

A few minutes later, Carol reached the room she shared with Daryl. Quickly, she shed off her clothes and replaced them with her pajamas, which consisted of a thin tank top and a pair of sleeper shorts. Daryl ran hot and Carol knew that even in the wintertime, she would be able to wear the same pajamas.

She had just settled underneath the covers when the door opened with a soft click and Daryl stood there with his hair still dripping from his shower. He smiled when he saw Carol in their bed and placed his dirty clothes in the basket at the end of the bed before he joined her.

"How was watch?" She asked when he lifted the blanket and joined her in the bed.

"It was all right. Got a visit from Glenn."

"Oh really?" Carol propped herself on an elbow and looked down at him. "What did he want?"

"Jus' wanted to talk." Daryl turned to face her. "Tyreese told him about our conversation earlier," he grumbled.

"He  _didn't._ " Carol couldn't help but giggle. "Did he tell him everything?"

"Yep. Every last damn detail."

"Aw, I'm sorry, Pookie." Carol ran a hand through his hair and kissed him on the nose.

"It's all right. I suppose it was goin' to come out sooner or later." He reached over and grabbed Carol's free hand. "So, how was babysittin' duty?"

"Fine. I had a visitor, myself, actually."

"Maggie."

Carol gave him an odd look. "How did you know?"

"Glenn told me."

She shifted. "So, you know what she came and talked to me about, then?"

He nodded. "Was pissed at her for a second, there, but Glenn told me that she regretted it and I suppose I could understand where she was comin' from."

"I always wondered if she had known something beforehand. Things had been a little tense between us these past few weeks. She asked me to forgive her, but...there was nothing to forgive."

"I told Glenn that was what you would say."

She smiled. "You know me well."

Daryl leaned up and captured Carol's lips with his. "Course, I do." Carol rolled to her back and Daryl followed, gently settling his body above hers.

Wrapping her arms around his neck, Carol giggled. "So, do you have a bromance with Glenn, now?" Daryl fixed her with a glare.

"Tryin' to seduce you, here, and you gotta go and bring him up?"

She shrugged. "I was just wondering. You can always answer me later."

Kissing her again, Daryl smiled. "Yeah.  _Much_  later."


	4. Caronne

**Caronne**

Carol had always envied the grace Michonne had while killing walkers. The katana, which was always strapped to her back, barely made a sound as it whirled through the air. It never missed its mark and Carol wished that she could possess a weapon like that. Daryl had his crossbow and Michonne, her sword.

"Everything okay?" The last walker had been dispatched and Michonne sauntered over to Carol. They had been paired to go on a run together and had been momentarily way laid by a small herd of walkers. Between the two of them, they had short work of the walking corpses. Daryl would have been proud if he had been there.

"Everything's fine." Carol wiped the sweat from her forehead and sheathed her knife. "Why?"

Michonne shrugged. "You just looked a little out of it for a second."

"Just a little tired, I guess. But, I'm fine."

The dread-locked woman smirked. "I see Daryl kept you up late last night. Can I ask for you to spill the details?"

"Daryl and I didn't do anything last night!" The dark red blush on her cheeks told Michonne the truth, though.

"I saw Daryl go into your room last night," she said as they walked back to their truck. "Figured you two were together.  _Finally._ "

"Took you long enough to catch on, Michonne. You can be more observant than Daryl or have you been distracted by your own love life?"

Michonne snorted. " _What_  love life, girl? I ain't got one."

"Uh-huh." Carol disappeared around the back of the truck and climbed into the driver's seat.

The other woman's eyes narrowed at her friend. "Did someone say something to you?"

Carol shrugged. "Maybe. Or I could have seen a little something."

"What?"

"I don't know." She started the truck and started to drive down the now clear road. Their destination was only about a mile or so from where they had been stopped. "Oh, look. We're here." Carol parked the car in front of a mostly picked through strip mall. They were there to clear the rest of it out.

Carol turned to open the door, but Michonne reached across and slammed it back shut. "You aren't leaving until you told me what you saw."

"Thought you didn't have a love life?" Carol raised an eyebrow at her friend. Michonne let go of the door handle and sat back in her chair.

"I don't."

"Then, I didn't see anything." Carol winked and exited the truck.

"You're a bitch. You know that, right?" Michonne nudged her when she joined Carol in front of the truck. Carol just smiled.

"So, maybe one day you  _will_  talk to me about your love life?"

"Will you tell me the details of you and Daryl?"

"Sure."

"Hmm. Then, I'll think about it." She unsheathed her knife. "But for now, let's get rest of the supplies and get the hell back to Terminus."

* * *

After a few trips to the truck with bags full of supplies, Michonne found Carol in the nearly picked clean toy section of one of the stores. In her hand, she held a doll and her pale eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Michonne noticed, with a pang, a toy locomotive. Andre would have loved it.

"This... is almost like the doll Sophia had when she ran into the woods." Carol's fingers played with the dolls blonde hair, her mind faraway. Michonne knew that the woman had lost her daughter and that Daryl had nearly killed himself trying to find her, but never had actually talked about it with Carol.

"Daryl brought it back to me during the trip that had almost killed him." Carol sniffled. "But when we fled the farm, it got left behind."

"Keep that one, then," Michonne said, softly.

"I-I think, I will." She held the doll close and placed it in the bag she had slung over her shoulder. "You don't think I'm...silly, right?"

"Of course not!" Michonne startled Carol with the vehemence of her answer. Reaching for the locomotive, she clutched it close to her heart. "Andre would have loved this." Tears pricked the corners of her eyes. She rarely let them fall, but she knew that she could with Carol. They were two grieving mothers who had lost their only child to the walking dead.

"Andre?"

"My son. He was only three when he was killed."

"Oh, Michonne!" Carol threw her arms around the other woman, and instead of shoving her off, she pulled Carol close and sobbed. Carl was the only other person who knew about the child she had lost.

"I never knew." Carol pulled back and wiped away her tears.

"I didn't tell anyone."

"I'm glad you told me. I'm glad you trusted me enough to tell me."

Michonne smiled and wiped away her own tears. "Maybe one day, I will tell you about the man in my life."

"But you're forgetting, I already know." The sad mood from earlier was dissipating as the two friends fell right back into their teasing. Carol had been intimidated by the woman when she had first shown up at the prison, but now she was not afraid to tease her.

"Thought you said you didn't see anything."

"I didn't." Together they headed for the exit. "But I think you need to talk to Tyreese about that big mouth of his."

 


	5. Carbraham

**Carbraham**

When Michonne and Carol returned to Terminus, Abraham and Bob were there to help unload the supplies. Carol kept the bag with the doll and toy train close to her side, not wanting someone to look in and think the toys were for Judith. They weren't going to be for any child. Instead, they were going to be used to remember their lost children.

Michonne joined them at the back of the truck to gather most of the supplies. Bob had already started to head inside with his arms full and Michonne was close to following him.

"You're one badass lady, you know that?" Abraham had sidled next to Carol and grabbed the remaining bag. Michonne walked by without acknowledging him. Carol flushed, slightly.

"I'm sorry, Abraham. I don't think she heard you."

"Wasn't talkin' about the samurai. Was talkin' about  _you._ " He hefted the bag over his shoulder and walked alongside Carol. His eyes never left her.

"Oh. Well, thank you." She couldn't help but smile proudly. When the world had ended, she had never thought she'd ever be called a badass. That was usually reserved for women like Michonne.

"I don't think I properly thanked you for savin' all of us."

"Tyreese helped, too."

"Yeah," he smiled. "But who was the one to open that train car with a big ass gun in their hands?"

Carol remembered finding that gun fondly. It was after she and Tyreese had led their walker army through the gates of Terminus. Judith had been swaddled and covered on Tyreese's back and the bigger man had made sure to stay away from most of the danger. However, Carol had been the one to cover herself in walker gunk and once, she had gotten through the fences; she went to look for a weapon to use on the humans not being attacked by walkers.

She had found the massive gun in one of the warehouse and didn't hesitate to pick it up.

"Well, my family was in danger, so I did what I had to do to protect them."

"Ain't nothing wrong with that and I'm mighty thankful that you considered us family."

"Honestly, I had no opinion of you when I threw open that door, but when you helped take back Terminus; I knew I could trust you." She opened the door for him. "It was too bad about Eugene, though."

After the take over of Terminus, Eugene had admitted that he didn't really know a cure for the virus. They had all been angry, but not so much as Rosita and Abraham. It had taken them months for them to even talk to the man, again, and even now, their interactions were brief.

"I suppose, I can understand his reasoning behind it. But I thought that  _just_  maybe someone knew how to fix this mess."

Walking into the warehouse, they dropped their stuff at a table where Tara, Sasha and Rosita worked to sort through the supplies and to put them in their designated places. Bob and Michonne had already cleared the area. Abraham greeted the women and then, went right back to Carol's side. Clearly, he was not done speaking with her.

"Did you ever stop to think that maybe what he said was too good to be true?"

The redheaded man shrugged. "Probably. But I didn't want to allow myself to think that, you know? If this man said he had the cure, then I was going to make it my mission to get him to D.C where he could get to work on it."

"What was even in D.C? Did he ever tell you that?"

"No and that should have been my first clue." He shrugged. "It's all water under the bridge, now, and it looks like we're stuck with your lot. Ain't complainin', though. We've all been getting along."

"Even with Rick?" Carol asked, curiously. Abraham was a leader and Rick had proclaimed himself their leader, again.

"We butt heads, sometimes, but that's expected. I just let him do his thing and if its something I don't like, then I let him know."

Carol couldn't help but chuckle. "I bet he doesn't like that very much."

"Nope," Abraham joined her. "But this ain't a dictatorship and I let him know."

Carol placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Good for you."

"There was something I've been meaning to ask you for awhile." They stopped walking and now, stood in the heart of Terminus. Some members of their group could be seen doing various things around the place, but no one paid much attention to them.

"What is it, Abraham?" This was their first real conversation and she was curious to hear what he wanted to ask.

"Are you single?"

And that was not expected.

"W-What?" She couldn't help but blurt.

"Are you single? Cause if you are, then I might be interested in getting to know you more. You are a mighty attractive woman, Carol, and badass, too."

Abraham was a handsome man and Carol was flattered that he wanted to get to know her better in  _that_  way, but she had Daryl, now, and she wouldn't trade him for the world. Especially since, they had gone through so much to be together.

"I'm sorry, Abraham, but I am happily taken. I'm flattered you find me attractive, though." Not many people would have ever said that about her in her old life.

"It's the archer, isn't it?"

"Excuse me?"

Abraham smirked. "The man you're with. It's the archer."

"Daryl?"

"Someone calling me?" Just then, the man himself walked up to them. Carol couldn't read his expression as he got closer, but when his eyes focused on Abraham, they narrowed.

"Yo, Archer, what's up?" Abraham held out his hand to be shaken, but Daryl ignored it and went to stand by Carol.

The other man retracted his man. "I see. Well, that answers my question, Carol." He looked between the two with a smirk. "I should probably go and see if there's something for me to do. Nice talkin' with you."

Once the man had walked away, Daryl didn't hesitate to ask. "So, what the hell was that?"

Carol rolled her eyes. "It was nothing. Abraham just wanted to talk with him. That's all."

"I don't believe you." His eyes narrowed to slits.

"Fine," she sighed, dramatically. "He asked me if I was single."

"And you said...?"

"That I was, of course." She turned to walk away, but Daryl quickly blocked her path. Carol couldn't help but laugh at the look on his face. "I was just kidding, Daryl."

"You better have been," he growled, but his face had softened. "So, how was the run with Michonne?" They started to walk towards the building that held their room. Carol wanted to rest a little before dinner.

"It went very well." Carol's voice grew soft. "How come you never told Michonne she lost a child?"

"I-I didn't know, either."

"She told me on our run. His name was Andre and he was only three." Tears pricked her eyes.

"Shit," Daryl breathed.

"We both brought something back that reminded us the child we lost. Well, in my case, children."

"That's good, Carol." He wrapped an arm around her waist as they walked into the building.

"So, how were things here?" She wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Nothing much. We all just did whatever needed to be done. Tyreese and I talked for a little bit. I think the big fucker is hidin' something."

They reached their room and once the door was shut, Carol bent down and unbuckled her boots. She loved the things, but were always grateful when it was time for them to come off. Daryl bent and did the same with his boots. It looked like he planned to take a nap with her.

"Hiding something?" She slipped off her thin jacket, which left her in just a dark blue tank stop.

"I don't know. He just seemed really shifty while you and Michonne were out on the run. Didn't relax until Michonne and you got back from the- Oh hell no!" Daryl turned and moved to the open the door. "That man has feelings for you, just like the ginger!"

"Daryl, wait!" Carol grabbed his arm and stopped him. "It's not me Tyreese has feelings for."

"Then, what had him all nervous and shit?"

Carol chuckled. "I'm surprised he hasn't told you, yet. I mean, you all are  _Dareese_ , after all."

"Told me what?"

"There was a reason why Tyreese was nervous during our run and it wasn't because of me."

Daryl looked confused. "He was worried about Michonne? But she can take care of herself."

"Yeah, and so can I, but can you admit that you were a little nervous about me being out there without you?" She wrapped her arms around him and looked up with a smile.

"Nearly gnawed my thumb off," he mumbled.

"So, do you get it?"

There was a pause as Daryl processed everything. "Are you tellin' me that Tyreese and...Michonne?"

"Yep!"

"What about Rick?"

Carol shrugged and sat on their bed. "I don't think there was anything with Rick. I think she kept near him because of Carl."

"I see." Daryl joined her on the bed and laid his head on the pillow. Carol lay down next to him.

"You learn something new every day, Daryl." She burrowed into his chest.

"Yep. Today, I learned I need to keep an eye on that fuckin' ginger army sergeant, or whatever the hell he is."

Carol couldn't help but giggle and relax more into Daryl's body.

 


	6. Carlenn

**Carlenn**

"Is it just me or does Daryl keep glaring at Abraham every time he sees the guy?" Carol had been helping to fix supper when Glenn joined her at the stove to ask.

"It's not just you," Carol sighed. She scooped out a bowl of stew and handed it to the younger man. "Ever since Abraham asked if I was single, Daryl's been shooting glares at him every chance he gets."

"Abraham asked if you were single? Well, obviously he hasn't been paying much attention around here." He spooned a bite of the stew into his mouth, making it obvious that he planned to stay there to chat.

"Paying attention to what, Glenn?" A couple other members of their group walked up to get their meal, so she had to what a little bit before she got his answer.

Glenn rolled his eyes. "I know you guys haven't said anything publicly, or whatever, but everyone  _knows_  you and Daryl are together. Even Eugene and he can be pretty clueless." Carol couldn't help but chuckle. The man may have lied about knowing a cure, but he brought lightness to the group. Even if he didn't mean to.

"I know Daryl told you about us being together during your bromantic talk earlier this week." Carol smiled and wiped her hands on a nearby towel before grabbing her own bowl.

"You know about that?"

"Of course, I do. Daryl wasn't too happy about you finding about him and Tyreese." Carol let Glenn guide her to the nearest empty table. Daryl wouldn't be in until a bit later. He was on watch with Sasha, waiting for a group to come back from a run. A run in which Rick had gone on.

Rick had not been on a run since...he had left Carol out on her own. That day would forever be fresh in her mind, like it had happened yesterday, but she tried not to dwell on it. She was here, now. Once again reunited with the family that loved and wanted her around.

"I had a good laugh when I found out. But in all seriousness, though, I'm glad they're friends." Glenn had taken the seat next to Carol. "Rick wasn't good for him, you know? Well, I'm sure, you knew, but...yeah."

"I think there may have been a point where he  _would_  have been good for Daryl, but ever since the Randall incident at the farm, I knew Rick just wanted Daryl to do things for him. Things he couldn't or wouldn't do. Things  _as a leader_ , he should have done."

"At the farm, I was too wrapped up in Maggie and didn't notice. But those months on the road and at the prison, it became more apparent. Look, I didn't like Merle, but what happened to him was horrible." Glenn mixed his stew around with his spoon and didn't look up. "Rick was going to give Michonne up to that madman, but he couldn't do it, so he went up to the only person who would. Daryl was against the idea, so Rick went to the  _other_  Dixon."

"Daryl hasn't forgiven him for that," Carol said, sadly.

"And he shouldn't' have, too." The younger man was starting to get worked up. "Then, there was what he did to you!"

"Glenn." Carol placed a hand on his shoulder, hoping to calm down a bit.

"No, Carol!" He ran a hand through his hair. "It just makes me so mad, you know? I've been doing a lot of thinking about it, too. What you did to Karen and David was a mercy killing. Everyone knows that, now. But what if it hadn't been you that had killed them?"

Carol's brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"

"What if it had been Daryl that killed them? Or Maggie? Hell, even Michonne. Do you think he would have banished  _them_?"

"Glenn-"

"Answer me honestly, Carol. Do you think he would have kicked them out?" Glenn was staring at her intently and it brought all those ugly memories roaring back.

Rick locking the door on her and saying that no one would want her at the prison once they had found out what she'd done. Her first thought had been Daryl. Would he really not want her back? Now, she knew the answer would have been a yes, but at the time, she hadn't known.

"Carol?"

"No," she nearly sobbed. "He wouldn't have. He wouldn't have, would he?" She looked at her friend with watery blue eyes.

Glenn's face filled with regret, instantly, for what he had done to Carol and he slid closer to wrap his arms around her and pulled her close. "I'm sorry, Carol. I shouldn't have said all of that. I'm just so...angry. You're like a sister to me and I don't ever want to lose you."

Carol wrapped her arms around him, too. "I don't want to lose you, either, Glenn. You've been with me since the beginning and I love you."

"I love you, too."

"Fuck, do I have to keep an eye out for you, too?" A gruff voice startled them both and they slid apart. Daryl was standing behind them with his arms crossed over his chest. When he saw Carol's tears, his eyes immediately went to Glenn with a look of death.

"What the hell did you do to my woman, Short Round?"

"He did nothing, Daryl." Carol came to the rescue. "We were just talking and I got a little emotional. It's okay."

Daryl's eyes remained narrowed and fixed on Glenn, who was starting to look extremely nervous.

"Well," Glenn stood and spoke. "Maggie is probably wondering where I am. It was nice talking to you, Carol. Bye." And he scurried off.

Daryl took the seat the younger man just vacated and wrapped an arm around Carol's waist to tug her close. "Are you sure everythin' is okay? Cuz if it ain't, I'm not afraid to kick someone's ass." This earned him a laugh.

"I'm positive that everything is okay. Did everyone come back from the run, okay?"

"Yeah, they all came back safe."

"That's good." She leaned her head on his shoulder and enjoyed the time alone they had.

"Didn't find much, though. Probably will have to go back out, again, soon, but for now, we're all goin' to stay at home base." Daryl shifted a bit. "Oh, and Sasha was lookin' for you, earlier."

"She was?" Carol looked up at him. "Did she tell you what she wanted?"

Daryl shook his head.

"Then, I should probably go see what she wants." She moved to stand up, but Daryl stopped her with a hand on her wrist.

"Not yet. Eat dinner with me, first, and then you can look for her." He took a big spoonful from her stew with a smirk.

"That's mine!"

"Figured we could share."

Carol paused and narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine."


	7. Dashyl

**Dashyl**

Sasha and Daryl stood atop a train car that overlooked the entrance gate to Terminus. Rick, Tyreese, Rosita, Bob and Michonne had gone on a run to gather more supplies for Judith and anything else they could find that was useful.

This had been the first run Rick had participated in since the one where he had left Carol on her own. The thought, alone, about that day, angered Daryl and he had protested being on watch for it. But no one else had been available. Sasha had volunteered and when no one else did, Daryl reluctantly followed her to the train car.

They had been standing in silence for a while. Sasha fidgeted a bit and her eyes remained glued on the gates. Her brother and lover were both out there. Daryl knew that if Carol were out there, he would act the same way. But she would never go out there, not without him. He had decided that a long time ago.

"So, should I be jealous?" Sasha turned to him and asked, with a barely concealed grin.

"Of what?" Daryl didn't like the way the woman was looking at him. Why couldn't he ever have watch with someone in complete silence?

"Well, I heard you have a bromance with Tyreese." Daryl groaned, but Sasha continued with a full on grin, now. "And I was wondering if I should be jealous, since he  _is_  my real brother and all."

"Tyreese tell you?" He sighed in defeat. All of Terminus was going to find out. It was inevitable.

"No. Glenn."

"I'm goin' to kill him," he muttered.

"I think it's cute that my older brother now has a brother of his own. He always wanted one." Sasha sat down and swung her legs over the edge of car. "Use to tell me he wished I was a boy. Of course, we would get in a fight after he said that." She smiled, lost in the memory. "He'd always leave saying that I should have been a boy since I hit like one."

Daryl chuckled and settled next to the woman. He didn't mind talking, now, especially if Sasha was going to spill any embarrassing stories about her brother. "So, did you ever beat him up?"

"All the time. He tried to say because I was a girl and he didn't want to use all of his strength and risk hurting me." Sasha snorted. "We both knew the truth, of course. Tyreese hates to fight." She looked at Daryl. "You know that."

Daryl nodded. "I do." He and Tyreese had even talked about it. Violence had never been in the large man's nature and it had taken him awhile to get use to the things he had to do now that the world had ended. He still didn't like killing walkers, but did it because he had to.

"I was so shocked when he decided to do football in high school and even more shocked when he got drafted into the NFL."

"He played professional football?" Daryl asked in disbelief. Tyreese was a large man, but Daryl would have never been able to guess that the soft-spoken man had played a rough sport like football.

"Yep. Defensive tackle for the Atlanta Falcons for three years."

Daryl whistled low. The Dixons had never been much into sports and had only spent a handful of Sundays watching a Falcons game. Most of the time they were too drunk to remember the final score, let alone the players in the game. It was odd to think that Daryl could have known of Tyreese before the world had ended.

"Before everything went bad, he had been retired for two years. An injury made him sit the bench for a year and when he was released, he just wasn't the same player, so he retired." Sasha leaned back on her hands. "I use to go to every home game and cheer my heart out for him. Of course, whenever I saw him next, I would point out all things he  _should_  have done." She chuckled. "He didn't like that very much."

"I bet he didn't. You would have thought that you were the older sibling."

"I should have been." Sasha rolled her eyes. "I'm twice as mature as he is and always have been."

"So, do you got anymore embarassin' stories to tell me?" Daryl was eager to have something to hold over Tyreese's head.

"Well, there was this one time he lost a bet and I made him dress up like a girl the whole day." Sasha laughed. "My parents and I called him Tyreesha. Some of his friends found out and he didn't talk to me for a week."

"Tyreesha?

"Yep." She nodded. "Whenever we got into fights, I'd call him that and it would make him so angry."

At the moment the sound of an approaching vehicle interrupted their conversation and they stood up to see a silver truck drive up to the gate. They had taken two vehicles that morning. A silver truck and a blue SUV.

"Where's the other car?" Sasha asked, eyes widening.

"Don't know, but let's check it out." A sick feeling settled in his gut. This was the first run Rick had gone in since the prison and once again, not everyone who had gone on it had made it back.

Carl had opened the gate for them and when the truck came to a stop, Rick, Michonne and Rosita stepped out. Sasha gasped at Daryl's side and his hands clenched when he saw the two that were missing. He didn't even think before he marched up to Rick, grabbed him by the shirt and slammed the man against the vehicle. Everyone looked on in shocked silence.

"Where are they?" Daryl asked through gritted teeth. "Did they do something to upset you and you decided to leave them out there?" Hurt and shock flashed through Rick's eyes and Daryl felt a pang of regret for saying the words, but he wasn't going to take them back. The last time Rick had gone out Carol, his best friend and the woman he loved, hadn't come back. This time, his best friend, the man he considered a brother, wasn't there.

"No, we ran into a herd and they had to find a way around it. They should be here, soon." Daryl let go of the man and stepped back.

"They better be." He growled and went to help unload some of the supplies from the truck. Sasha was by his side.

"Where are they?" Her voice was panicked. The two people she cared about the most had not returned.

"They should be back soon, according to Officer Grimes." He slung a heavy pack full of canned goods and started to head off to one of the supply cars.

"Oh, okay," she said with relief and followed him with a much smaller bag. It was odd to see Sasha so willingly accept Rick's words. That was no longer the case with Daryl. He didn't believe a word that man said unless he had proof it was real.

It wasn't until they had fully unloaded the vehicle when the blue SUV showed up at the gates with Tyreese and Bob in the front seats. Daryl waved at his friend and was about to leave to go find Carol. It was supper time and he was starving.

"Daryl!" Sasha called from behind him.

"Yeah?" He asked.

"You'll see Carol later, right?" At his nod, she continued. "Can you tell her I'd like to talk with her later, if she's free?"

"Course."

"Thanks," she smiled and ran off to greet her brother and Bob.

Thankfully, Daryl had cooled down considerably when he walked into the dining room. Thoughts of Rick left his mind when he saw Glenn wrap his arms around Carol and tell her that he loved her. He knew the Korean man wasn't making a move, but he thought he'd mess with him and when he saw the tears in Carol's eyes, he couldn't help but give Glenn a death glare.

Several seconds later, Glenn had scurried off and Daryl had Carol to himself. Just as he liked it.


	8. Caryl (#1)

Daryl and Carol moved from the eating area once they were finished with their meal and went to find a nice, quiet area outside where they could just sit and talk. The weather was getting cooler and Daryl had made sure to grab a blanket on their way out, so that they could wrap up in it.

"Just in time to watch the sunset," Carol mused and slid down the wall of the building they had decided to lounge against. "Pretty romantic, huh?" She looked up at Daryl, who was unfolding the blanket, with twinkling eyes.

"Pfft." Daryl smirked as he spread out the blanket over Carol and then, settled next to her. Carol lifted up a corner and he snuggled in close.

"You don't want to screw around?" She asked and leaned her head on his shoulder. They had a perfect view of the setting sun.

"Hmm," he hummed. "Maybe later. But right now, I just want to hold you." Daryl wrapped an arm around Carol's shoulder and pulled her close. It was moments like this when Daryl realized how lucky he was to have Carol in his life. She could have easily been taken from him...

"I love you. So much." Carol mumbled into his neck and Daryl didn't know if he could be any happier.

"Love you, too."

Together they sat and enjoyed the sunset and each other's company, until a shadow fell across them. Daryl looked up to see Sasha standing off to the side, watching the two of them with a happy smile. It didn't take long for Carol to notice the other woman and she sat up.

"Hi, Sasha," she greeted.

"Uh, hi." The other woman said a bit awkwardly. She wasn't used to seeing Daryl so comfortable touching someone. "I was looking for you. I guess, Daryl didn't tell you I was." She smiled. "I can understand why, though."

"I did tell you her, but I didn't think it was that important for her to leave that second." Daryl grumbled, hating that their quiet time together was being interrupted.

"Oh, well, it's not, but I wanted to talk with Carol before I went on watch, tonight." She looked back at Carol. "Is that okay? It won't take that long and then, you'll be able to get back to your man."

"Okay." Carol pulled back the covers and Daryl reluctantly let her go.

"Let's go talk over here." Sasha pointed to a place that was a ways away and looking back at Daryl, Carol could see that he was watching the exchange with narrowed eyes. He was expecting the talk to be in front of him, but now it was obvious that Sasha didn't want him to hear what she had to say.

Once they were a distance away, Sasha turned her back and smiled. "You two looked mighty cozy."

"We were." Carol returned the smile and looked over her friend's shoulder to see that Daryl was watching them.

"And I can see that you want to get right back to your man, so I'll make this quick." Carol focused her full attention on Sasha. "Well, me and a couple of the women were discussing about having some soft of a ladies night."

"Sounds like fun!" Carol beamed.

"The thing is, we don't want to have it  _here_. Most of us are stuck behind the gates and we want to get out. Michonne and Tara went out a few weeks ago and found an old motel not far from here. They said it was in good condition and they cleaned out a few rooms."

"Does anyone else know?"

"Just a few of us women. And I was wondering if you would like to go with me and Tara tomorrow night."

"What about Maggie, Michonne and Rosita?" Carol asked.

"We didn't want the men to get suspicious, so we decided we all wouldn't go at once. I told Rick that we planned on going for an overnight run to get more clothes for the winter."

"But...we're not. So, won't he get suspicious, still?"

Sasha smiled widely. "When Michonne and Tara cleared out the rooms, they had found lots of winter clothes while they were out and they stored them there. So, when we're ready to leave in the morning we'll have everything we need."

"Wow you've really thought it all through!" Carol was surprised at the lengths the other woman had gone to set this up. "Of course, I'll come."

"Great! I'll let Tara know. She's wanted to get to know you more ever since you kicked ass and rescued us from those train cars." Carol flushed at the praise.

"Well, I'd like to get to know her more. Thank you for the invite, Sasha." She wrapped the other woman up in a hug.

"I should get to watch, now. I'll see you tomorrow." She gave Carol once last smile before jogging off. Carol watched her go for a moment, then walked back to where Daryl was still sitting, with the blanket now pulled up to his neck.

"Thought you guys were goin' to talk forever," he grumbled and opened the blanket for her. She slid in and instantly cuddled close to get warm.

"We didn't even talk that long."

"Hmph. Could have fooled me." He rested his cheek on her forehead.

"You just want me all to yourself." She smiled.

"You're damn right."

* * *

Later that night, Daryl and Carol lay in their bed sans clothing. Half of Carol's body lay across Daryl and it was Daryl's arm that made sure she stayed there.

"I wish we had started doing this sooner." Daryl interrupted the silence.

Carol picked up her head to look at him and grinned. "Hey, I offered when we first got to the prison. It's not my fault you didn't take me up on it."

"Pfft." He hauled Carol up until she was full lying on top of him. "Well, I won't be making that same mistake, again."

"Good." She relaxed her head back on his chest and listened to the gently thumping of his heartbeat.

"Hm, I forgot to ask what Sasha wanted." He was lazily running a hand up and down her back.

"Oh, she just wanted me and Tara to go on an overnight run with her tomorrow," Carol said sleepily. "We need to get some more winter clothes for those that need them." Daryl froze.

"Hell no. Not if I ain't comin' along."

She lifted her head. "I've been on runs without you before. I'll be fine."

"Yeah, but you've never been on an overnight run. There's no way I'm goin' to let you go unless I come with."

Carol sat up and fixed him with a glare. "Hell no. Sasha asked me and Tara. Not you."

"I don't want you to be away from here that long." Daryl softened his voice, but Carol was not going to be convinced.

"I'm going and that's final. Sasha, Tara and I are all very capable of taking care of ourselves."

Daryl crossed his arms over his chest and refused to look at her. He was  _pouting!_  Carol only smirked and leaned down to kiss the corner of his down turned mouth. "Admit it, Daryl. You're just afraid of having to sleep in this bed by yourself." It took him a little bit, but then he was smiling right back up on her. Without warning, he flipped them over and kissed her soundly.

"Dammit, you got me."


	9. Cartasha

**Cartasha**

That morning, after breakfast had been served and cleaned up, Carol found Tara and Sasha placing bundles of things into the back of the silver truck. When they saw her approach, they turned and smiled.

"So, are you ready for some fun?" Sasha asked.

"Just about. Um, do I need to...bring anything?"

"Maybe some night clothes," Tara spoke up. "Even though, I wouldn't object if you all wanted to sleep naked." Carol couldn't help but blush and Sasha elbowed Tara hard in the ribs.

"Ignore her. We're about ready to leave, so you'll have just enough time to say goodbye to your lover." Sasha smirked and pointed behind Carol. Without turning around, Carol knew that it was Daryl.

"What about your lover, Miss Sasha?" Carol threw right back at the other woman.

Sasha waved a hand at Carol. "Oh, I said bye to him this morning. The man couldn't even bother to get out of bed, so I'm sure he'll be fine without me for the night. Yours, on the other hand..."

Carol sighed. "He didn't want me to go, but I'm done with people telling me what I can and can't do. Daryl doesn't own me."

"Hmph. You guys are no fun." Tara pouted. "Are all the woman here taken?"

"I don't think Rosita is," Carol answered.

"She's got her eye on Abraham, though, which reminds of something I noticed the other day," Sasha said. "But I'm going to save it for when we gossip, later."

Carol couldn't remember the last time she had gotten together with a group of woman and actually, gossiped. After the farm, it had been her, Lori, Maggie and Beth. Maggie stuck close to Glenn most of the time and Beth was still trying to cope with losing her home, so it had just been Lori and Carol. Sometimes they would talk about the other men in their group and more often than not, Lori would tease her mercilessly about Carol's relationship with a certain hunter within the group. If only her friend could see, now, that she and Daryl were finally together.

"Hey, why don't you go say goodbye to Daryl, before he tries to hitch a ride with us, and we'll finish packing." Sasha had turned back to the last two bags on the ground before she had stopped talking.

"All right," Carol said. "I'll be right back."

"Still think I should go with you." Those were Daryl's first words the moment she had gotten within hearing distance.

Carol rolled her eyes. "Well, you aren't. Now, kiss me and say goodbye."

"Bossy," he muttered, but wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her close." Be careful out there, okay? I've thought I lost you twice and I don't want to make it a third time."

"Don't worry." She cupped his cheek and rubbed a thumb underneath his eye. "I'll be fine. Sasha, Tara and I will have each other backs and we'll all come back safely."

"I know, but just for the future, if you ever get lost out there, I  _will_  find you and drag your ass back."

Carol laughed. "I know. Now, what about that kiss?"

* * *

Several minutes later, all three woman were smashed together in the front seats of the truck. Sasha had slipped a CD in the player and she and Tara jammed out to a song that must have been popular before the Turn.

"So, what's in the bags you guys packed?" Carol asked when a slower and quieter song began to play.

Sasha smiled, knowingly. "You'll see when we to the motel."

"How come you guys, Michonne, Rosita and Maggie all helped put this thing together and this is the first time I'm hearing about it? I could have helped, too."

"My, aren't you full of questions?" Tara teased and nudged her in the ribs. "I mean, this really didn't start out on purpose. We would each go on runs and bring back little things and one of us got the idea to have a girl's night and bam. Then, Michonne and I found the motel and knew that it was the perfect place to have a get together."

"You were too busy thinking up ship names with my brother and Daryl to notice, anyway." Sasha smirked and Carol felt her face heat up.

"Ship names? Like the stuff that use to be all over the internet?" Tara asked, curiously.

"Yep." Sasha quipped. "And Carol, here, is the queen of making them up. Right, Carol?"

Carol hid her face in her hands. "I hate you, Sasha."

"So, like, what our ship name be? Like all three of us?" Tara bounced around in her seat and looked over at the other two women.

"Hmm," Sasha hummed. "Satarol?"

"Ew, sounds like a medicine or something," the brown-haired woman shuddered. "Tarolsha?"

"Ugh, no." Sasha made a face.

"Cartasha." Carol lifted her head and spoke.

"I like it." Tara said.

"Me too," Sasha agreed. "See? Told you she was the Queen."

* * *

"I can't believe you guys were able to hoard wine," Carol said, slightly tipsy as she lounged on one of the beds in the motel room. Tara lay at the bottom of the bed on her stomach and Sasha sat against the headboard on the other one. Each of them had a bottle of wine to drink from. Of course, they were taking it easy, since danger was still all around them, but after not having alcohol for such a long period of time, they had become lightweights.

"Just imagine if we tried to do our nails, now," Tara said, words slightly slurred. "We'd probably have more polish on our skin than our nails." Sasha giggled almost hysterically at that and took another swig from her bottle.

"And if we tried to do one another's make up, too," Carol added. "One of us would have probably lost an eye." The other two woman laughed in agreement. Carol couldn't remember the last time she had had so much fun.

"Ohh!" Sasha exclaimed. "Time for some gossip!" She placed the bottle down next to the lamp on the bedside table and leapt on to the other bed. Carol and Tara nearly flew from the mattress.

"Yeah, gossip!" Tara scrambled into a sitting position and eagerly waited for Sasha to speak.

"So, our girl, Carol, over her, forgot to mention that a Mr. Abraham Ford hit on her the other day." Sasha looked at the woman in question. "Isn't that right?"

"I-I guess."

Sasha rolled her eyes. "The man asked if you were single and he said, if you weren't then he would like to get to know her better."

"He didn't!" Tara exclaimed, getting into it.

"How do you know?" Carol grew a little more sober with the question. "No one was around except me and him."

"Through the chain, girl. You told Daryl, Daryl told Tyreese and Tyreese told me."

"Men," Carol grumbled.

"Well, word is, Rosita wasn't too fond of that."

"I wasn't interested and I even told him!" Carol protested. She couldn't understand why Rosita would be jealous of  _her._  Rosita was beautiful.

"Still, his eyes were on you and not her." Sasha laid flat on her back.

"Well, his eyes aren't on me, anymore, especially when Daryl's near." Carol crossed her arms.

Sasha laughed. "Oh, Daryl...always the protective one."

Just then, a snore had Carol and Sasha looking over at their other companion. Tara had passed out at the edge of the bed.

Sasha sat up and grumbled. "So much for gossiping."

"It is late, we should probably head to bed so we can get back, early." The other woman reluctantly agreed with her and she climbed back into her bed to lie down. Carol grabbed a blanket, placed it over Tara, and grabbed another for herself.

"Night." Sasha said.

"Night," Carol returned.

* * *

That morning, they returned to Terminus with a truck full of winter clothes. Daryl greeted them at the gate and waited for Carol to walk up to him. He smiled as she got near and Carol wrapped her arms around his waist in a way of greeting.

"Did you miss me?" She asked.

"Like hell." His eyes narrowed as he looked over her face. "Are you wearin' make-up?"

Carol stepped back. " Um...Maybe?"

"And why are your fingernails painted red?" Daryl crossed his arms. "There's somethin' you ain't tellin' me, ain't there?"

"No, there's not!" Carol smiled and then, took off towards Sasha and Tara, who were gathering coats and other clothing in their arms from the truck. Daryl just watched her go and shook his head. He was going to find out later what had gone on during that run.


	10. Bobyl

**Bobyl**

"Couldn't sleep, either, I take it." Daryl turned from his constant vigil on the gates to see Bob climb up the ladder to the train car. Glenn was supposed to be on watch, but Daryl had relieved him when he found that he really couldn't sleep without Carol by his side.

"Naw. You?"

"Nope." Bob walked up to Daryl until they stood shoulder to shoulder. They hadn't had a real conversation since the run to the University, but it seemed that whole ordeal was forgotten. Daryl had watched Bob become a very valuable member of the group and had chalked up the incident with the alcohol a one-time thing. Bob was a ray of optimism in their group and that was something they needed. Especially in this world.

"Missin' Sasha?" Daryl thought he might as well engage the man in a conversation.

"Yeah. Missing Carol?" Bob turned his head and smiled. They hadn't announced the status of their relationship to the group, but they would be kidding themselves if they didn't think anyone knew that they were together.

"A bit." Daryl smirked.

Bob caught on and nudged the hunter with his elbow. "I see what you're saying. You don't want people to know you miss your girl so much you can't sleep, because she'll use it against you. Am I right?"

Daryl chuckled. "I suppose and Carol  _would_  use it against me, too, so no snitchin' on me to Sasha because somehow Carol  _will_ find out."

Bob snorted. "You got it." He shifted in place before looking back at Daryl, again. "You know, Sasha did tell me something funny the other day. It was about you and Tyreese, I think."

The other man groaned. "Shut up. That's all over fuckin' Terminus and every day I got someone new comin' up to me and askin' about it."

"But is it tr-"

"True? Yeah, it is and I better not hear you laughin' about it.' Daryl stabbed a finger at the other man.

"Cuz what you and Tyreese have is real, right?" Bob was barely holding back his laughter and Daryl briefly wondered if he would still be laughing if he pushed his ass off the train car. Bob must have noticed the look Daryl was giving him and took a few steps away.

"You know, I didn't take you for someone who would have a 'bromance' with anyone."

"And I didn't take you to become a ray of sunshine all of a sudden." Daryl said a bit too harshly. When they had first found Bob and brought him back to the prison, the man had seemed like he was waiting for the other shoe to drop. As if any second could be his last of being with a group of people and he would be on his own.

Bob didn't seem too bothered with Daryl's tone. "Believe it or not, I didn't start acting that way until the prison was destroyed. I know, weird. But it just came to me that I couldn't live my life always thinking something bad was going to happen. This world is full of bad and I realized that constantly thinking bad things were going to happen wasn't the way to live. It can't be. So my attitude changed. Just like yours."

"Pfft. You think you know everything, don't you?"

"I wouldn't say  _everything_. It's probably closer to most things." Bob smirked.

"Then, tell me the  _real_  reason why Sasha, Carol and Tara went on that run."

"To get supplies for the winter, of course." He answered immediately. His brow furrowed. "Didn't Carol tell you?"

Something about the way Bob looked made Daryl think that he wasn't telling him something. He narrowed his eyes. "She told me, but for some reason, I'm not buyin' it."

Bob didn't look fazed by the intense look Daryl was giving him. Instead, he smiled, smugly. Or so Daryl thought, anyway. "When they come back with winter supplies, you'll see they were telling the truth." He started to walk to the ladder. "It's not like they're having a party or anything. Can't really have those, anymore, nowadays."

Daryl watched him turn around and place his feet on the first rung of the ladder. "Hmm. Should it be Darbob or Boryl?"

"What?" Daryl gave Bob an odd look. It sounded like he was speaking gibberish.

"Our names. I like Darbob, myself, but I kind of want my name to be first, you know?" He stopped climbing down the ladder and leaned on his elbows, seemingly in deep thought. But Daryl saw that the corners of his mouth were twitching with a smile that wanted to escape.

"How about...Bobyl?" Daryl muttered. This was the first time he had ever offered up a name before. Usually that was Carol's job. But she wasn't here.

"Hm, you know what?" Bob finally let the smile through and pointed up at Daryl. "I like it. Bobyl, it is!" He began to climb down, again. "Wait until I tell Sasha."

Daryl groaned. "Great."

"See you later, Daryl!" Bob called up to the other man as he completely disappeared from Daryl's sight.

"Night," he mumbled and turned back to keeping a constant eye on the gate.

* * *

Daryl watched Carol run from him after he had pointed out that her nails were painted and that she was wearing makeup. What Bob had said the night before about them having a party came back to him. The man had tried to throw it out there as something that  _wouldn't_  happen, but looking over at Tara and Sasha, he saw that they, too, looked gussied up.

Hm. He was most definitely going to talk to Carol about  _that_  later.

 


	11. Taryl

Carol was avoiding him. She had been back from her run with Sasha and Tara for over two hours, and Daryl hadn't seen any sight of her since she had arrived back. Something was up. After grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch, still with no Carol, Daryl saw Tara across the courtyard of Terminus and made a beeline for the woman.

They had never really spoken before, but Glenn trusted the woman with his life and Maggie, seeing how her husband treated the other woman, felt the same. Daryl knew that she had been with the Governor when he had attacked the prison, but from what Rick had said, she was the one he had tried to talk out of attacking, and for her, at least, it had worked.

Tara saw him approaching and Daryl heard her mutter "shit" under her breath. He couldn't help but wonder why the woman didn't look happy to have to speak to him. Sure, he could be surly, but he really wasn't all  _that_  bad to have a conversation with. Had Glenn said something? He'd killed the kid if he had.

"Uh, hey. Daryl, right?" She greeted with a fake smile, while her eyes darted around in nervousness.

Daryl's own eyes narrowed, immediately catching her shiftiness. She had something to hide. "Pretty sure you know my name by now. Don't talk much, but I don't all the time."

"Oh, um, yeah. I knew you're name. I was just, uh, testing you, to see if you knew it." Tara's mannerisms slightly reminded him of Glenn whenever he was trying to keep a secret. The girl was hanging around him too much.

"Spill."

"Uh," she blinked. "What?"

"You, Sasha and Carol went on that run, together, and now, Carol's back with make up all over her face. Something tells me it wasn't just a run to get winter supplies. Something else went on, too."

Tara planted her hands on her hips. "Are you saying Carol can't wear makeup unless she's hiding something?" It was a stall tactic, which was Glenn all the way.

"I don't mind if she wears the stuff, but she doesn't often. Now, tell me what went on. Promise I won't get mad."

"Why don't you ask Carol?" Her voice wavered a bit, which meant that she was about to crack. Daryl had to stop a smirk of satisfaction to show on his face.

"She's been avoidin' me all day, and lucky for you, you're the first of the three that I've spotted in awhile."

"Damn, I knew I should have locked myself in my room," she muttered.

"So?"

"Okay, fine! We had a girl's night. Happy?" Tara crossed her arms, angrily. "Just don't tell anyone I told you. They'd be mad at me. It was supposed to be a secret."

"I won't say anythin'. Promise." Daryl couldn't help but smirk at how easy it had been to get the information out of the woman. He was glad, too, because he knew he wouldn't have gotten anything out of Sasha. That woman would have probably kept the secret to the grave.

"Damn you for being so observant. Carol did warned me about that, though"

"Not much gets past me," Daryl boasted.

"Well, have you noticed the looks Eugene has been shooting your girlfriend?" Tara blurted.

Daryl's eyes narrowed, again. The geeky, fake scientist had his eye on Carol, too? It wasn't like she was the only woman in all of fucking Terminus! Of course, she  _was_  the most beautiful. "Yeah?"

"Yep. Didn't notice, did you?" She looked smug.

"Naw, but now, I guess I'm goin' to have to keep on eye on that fucker, too. First, Abraham, now him. Who else am I goin' to have to look after?"

"Well, Carol is pretty hot. If she swung my way, I wouldn't mind getting to know her more. If you catch my drift." His eyes widened in shock at what Tara was saying.

"Does that mean you're...?"

"A lesbian? Yep."

"Hmph. Thought you had a crush on Glenn. Guess I was wrong."

"Not so observant, then, huh? I totally check out Carol's ass  _way_  more than I do Glenn." She shifted in place. "You know what would solve all of these men checking Carol out?"

"What?" Daryl was willingly to do anything.

"Make it publicly known that you and Carol are together. Some people just aren't  _that_  observant, you know?"

Publicly make it known? Anyone with a brain and eyes could see that he and Carol were a thing. It wasn't often when they weren't together. They even shared a room for fuck's sake! However, he supposed for those that stayed in another building, they wouldn't know that. So, what was he supposed to do? Make out with her in the middle of Terminus? Just the thought brought heat to his cheeks and caused his palms to start sweating. He really wasn't one for PDA.

Tara must have noticed the blush. "I hope you're not thinking of anything R rated, because as much as I would love to see some confirmation you two are together, I do not  _want_  to see that."

"Shut up. I wasn't thinkin' about  _that._ " And of course, he  _did_  start thinking of that and the blood rushed down from his face.  _Shit._

"You could just, you know, hold her hand or something. People should get the idea, then. You wouldn't have to kiss her. I don't think anyone would be that stupid to  _not_  think you two were together, if you held her hand or put your arm around her."

Hmm, holding hands? He could do that. Couldn't he? Well, he wouldn't know unless he tried. Looking up at the other woman, he nodded his head. "Uh, thanks."

"No problem. But do me a favor. Next time you go out and can you bring me back a girlfriend?"

"Sure. If that means you'll stop lookin' at Carol's ass."

Tara thought a moment. "Nope. She's got a great ass and it would be a crime  _not_  to stare." Daryl knew that to true. Carol  _did_  have a great ass.

"Well, uh, I guess I'll see you around." He awkwardly waved at the woman and turned to search for Carol. Maybe if she was around a crowd of people, he could just walk up and sling an arm around her shoulders or waist. That would send out a good enough message. Right?

Yeah. He could do this.

 


End file.
